Girl, 10, sues mom's ex-boyfriend for not giving back her dog

On her own, a 10-year-old Farmington Hills girl decided she wanted to sue her mom’s ex-boyfriend — accusing him of refusing to give back her dog after they moved out of his house.

So, Hannah Wise called up her mother’s lawyer, Robert Zawideh, and asked him to represent her. With the help of her mom Adrienne Lenhoff, appointed to represent Wise’s legal interests since she is a minor, Wise filed a lawsuit.

Lenhoff and Wise lived with Mitchell Rechter for four years. After Lenhoff and Rechter broke up in April of this year, they moved out of his home. They left their tea cup poodle Mystery with him as they moved their things into their new home. But Wise said when she called Rechter to get her dog back, he would not answer or return her calls.

Rechter’s lawyer Jonathan Jones responded to the complaint, saying, according to the Oakland County Clerk’s Office, “The plaintiff abandoned the dog, gave it to the defendant to take care of, knowing he wanted to care for the dog, and took another dog with her when she left.”

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In a letter to Wise’s lawyer, Jones wrote, “Based on the length of time, my client is attached to the dog and wants to keep it.”

Rechter and Jones both declined comment, only saying they deny Wise’s allegations.

Wise said she and her mom have two dogs, Mystery and Daisy. She stressed that both dogs are legally hers, and she never told Rechter he could keep either. Her grandparents gave her the poodle as a present three years ago after her dog Mystic was diagnosed with bone cancer, Wise said.

“When Mystic died, it felt like he didn’t actually leave me. I had Mystery. ... He was a part of me. He would come in my bed and snuggle up to me,” said Wise, who celebrated her 10th birthday Sunday. “(Rechter) wouldn’t give me my dog back. And he knew that I cared about that dog so much. It was really heartbreaking for me.”

Lenhoff said Rechter became a father-figure to her daughter during their relationship. And she said, with this incident, Wise had her first heartbreak.

“This has made her not trust adults,” said Lenhoff. “A big part of her innocence has been taken from her because of this. These are lessons that no child 10 years old should have to be learning.”

On Friday, Wise spoke in front of a crowd of about 500 people at a storytelling event at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. She was the youngest speaker at the event.

“The lesson I learned was, when you really get to know someone and fall in love with them, don’t give them your full heart. Hide a piece of it.”

Lenhoff called her daughter “brave.” She said audience members were crying as Wise told her story.

“At such an early age, if there’s any positive lesson for her at all, is she’s learning if somebody has wronged her, she is empowered to stand up for what is right and what is just,” Lenhoff said. “I decided to support her in this because this has been a very emotional and tragic ordeal. And I wanted to make sure that she grows up to be a strong, intelligent and emotionally healthy individual who has learned to stand up for herself when she is wronged.”

Wise and Lenhoff have requested a trial by jury for this case at Oakland County Circuit Court. Judge Shalina Kumar will hear the case, and both parties are due in court next year, with a July trial date set.